{HowTo} turn on/off your monitor (Time based, PIR/Button, App)

ninjabreadman

Thanks, @cruunnerr. Very comprehensive. Can I suggest you also add how to black out but not disable the monitor? I’ve seen this question a few times. It is often important when users:

want to still use the integrated audio out of a monitor, or
are using a TV style display where it will turn off without signal, and then cannot be turned back on by the Pi.

I’ve seen solutions using xset dpms force off and another using chvt to display a blank virtual terminal, but there may be other (even better) solutions.

nikobelohlav

is there a way to use a PIR sensor and the PIR module to make the PI load a black screen saver so that it looks like the screen went off but really didnt and then when the PIR sensor picks up motion the screen saver is “turned off” like it would normally do.?

cruunnerr

@nikobelohlav

yes it is.

Just use the external script from this tutorial. Change the content of the monitor_off.sh and monitor_on.sh to the following:

monitor_off:

export DISPLAY=:0
xset dpms force off

monitor_on:

export DISPLAY=:0
xset dpms force on

I will add this options to the tutorial later. ;)

Mykle1

@cruunnerr

Those commands look familiar. :-)

Peter

Nice tutorial!
Time to connect the Pir to the Pi.
Thanks!
Peter

cruunnerr

@nikobelohlav @ninjabreadman

Alright, i add this option to the tutorial. Hope you enjoy :)

If there are any suggestions on the scripts i am using please tell me. I am not a programmer so it could be, that the scripts aren’t as “clean” as they could be.

OdomLinx

disable the HDMI port with

vcgencmd display_power 0

and enable with

vcgencmd display_power 1

Most monitors then go into standby. Some also show ‘NO Signal’.

E3V3A

@OdomLinx copy paste error?

OdomLinx

@E3V3A Yes copy paste error, I adjusted it

E3V3A

Most modern monitors also have a PowerSave function that completely turn off the monitor when there is no HDMI signal, after a set amount of time. So I guess experimentation will be needed as to what really happen after you have turned it off using either:

vcgencmd display_power 0
sudo tvservice -o
DISPLAY=:0 xset dpms force off (Notice, it’s not necessary to export!)
xset -display :0 dpms force off

The first 2 turn off HDMI and most likely put your monitor into PowerSave mode, eventually.
The last 2 only blanks the screen (visible when dark), and does not disable HDMI signals.

ninjabreadman

@E3V3A Some monitors, but almost all television displays turn off after delay (and then cannot be woken in software).

That, and some folks have complained that they can’t hear a podcast or Alexa because their integrated speakers turn off when the monitor is in powersaving.

You’re right, it takes some experimentation to tailor to a given use case/situation depending on requirements.

MadScientist

I would like to use the MMM-PIR-sensor module to trigger the relay to power off the LCD. However, whenever I set
relayPIN: 27, in the config.js, the motion detector doesn’t do anything anymore. Anyone know what else I have to change in the config? It’s working just fine without the relay.

Config working without relay (switches off HDMI):

                {
                module: 'MMM-PIR-Sensor',
                config: {
                        sensorPIN: 22, 
                        relayPIN: false,
                        powerSaving: true,
                        }
                },

Not working with relay:

                {
                module: 'MMM-PIR-Sensor',
                config: {
                        sensorPIN: 22,
                        relayPIN: 27,
                        relayOnState: 1,
                        powerSaving: true,
                        }
                },

The problem is I am using a V59 LCD controller board which doesn’t power on again once the HDMI is re-activated.

cruunnerr

Can u turn on GPIO27 with gpio -g write 27 1 and off with gpio -g write 27 0 ?
Have u tried just to connect a LED on GPIO27 ?
What relay do u use and how exactly is it connected? ?

MadScientist

Hmm, I get

Unable to determine hardware version. I see: Hardware   : BCM2835
,
 - expecting BCM2708 or BCM2709. Please report this to projects@drogon.net

when I run gpio -g write 27 1 .

cruunnerr

@MadScientist said in {HowTo} turn on/off your monitor (Time based, PIR/Button, App):

Unable to determine hardware version. I see: Hardware : BCM2835

Huh… a quick google search tells, that this could be several causes. Some wrote to update or downgrade the kernel., some wrote to update wiring pi and so on.
So its not a problem of the module at all. I’m sorry but for the first u should try to google.

Maybe start with this: https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=182191

However you should start a new thread if you cannot get to target :(

randomnoise

@MadScientist said in {HowTo} turn on/off your monitor (Time based, PIR/Button, App):

Hmm, I get

Unable to determine hardware version. I see: Hardware   : BCM2835
,
 - expecting BCM2708 or BCM2709. Please report this to projects@drogon.net

when I run gpio -g write 27 1 .

I had the same issue. I just followed the instructions on the wiring pi site to install. Don’t have my notes but there was a different version depending if you use wiringpi or wiring-pi. I’ll see if I can find the right one.

randomnoise

So I think as wiring-pi is the npm specific version the reason it didn’t work was because they haven’t compiled it to work with the pi3 chip.

Try http://wiringpi.com/download-and-install/

MadScientist

Thanks so far. I did npm uninstall wiring-pi and installed wiringpi via git. Now I don’t get the error anymore but the relay still does nothing. It’s getting late and won’t have the time today anymore to look into it. Let me know if you have other ideas and I will continue tomorrow.

Thanks so far.

randomnoise

I think I kept the npm wiring-pi on there as well… There’s probably some other stuff in there that makes it work in mm.

cruunnerr

U could also quick try the script from this tutorial (at point 5). It will be done in 2 minutes ^^
Maybe u missed the connection?